Animal trap



May I, 1923.

T. J. ELLusoN ANIMAL TRAP Filed Nov. 1, 1922 2 Shets-Shee't' 2 1Z2abtozneq lt atented llday ll,

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ANIMAL TRAP.

Application filed November Totally/tom it mag concernf y Be it knownthat T, T oivnis J. ELLIsoN, a citizen otttheUnited tdtates. residing};at Richmond, in the coniitybt li ladison and bltate ofliientucky,haveinvented new and i'iseinl Tn'iprovements in Animal Traps of whichthe iollowina is a s ieciiication.

i,- v h i i i i This nvention relates to animal traps which are resetbyeach victim entering); the

same, so that the trapmay be in condition to i catch the next victim.

The invention has for its object to pro vide a simple and very eilicienttrap at" the kind stated, and to thi end it consists in a novelcon'ibination and arrangement of parts 1 to he hereinafter described andclaimed.

in order that the invention may be bet ter understood, reference is hadto the accoiiipanying drawings, whereina Figure 1 1s s deelevation oithe trap 5 Fig.2 an end viewthereof;

Fig. Sis ahoriaontalrsection on the line 3- 8of Fig. 1, and a Fig. 4: isa cross-section on the line of Fig.1. p

In carrying out theinventiom I provide an enclosure having its topandside walls formed of some suitable reticulated material,"snch screenfabric, or thelikea The enclosure has a wooden or other suitable flooror bottom 10,and its top 11 is removable for access to the interior oi?the enclo- The sidewalls are denoted by the reference characters 12and13, andthe end wallsby the reierencecharacters 1a and 15.

The enclosure has, JlltGIflTlBdlttilt! its side Wal1s12and 13, alongitudinal partition 16 whichmay be a piece 0t sheet metal. Thispartition divides the enclosure into two compartments, the one on oneside oi? the partition being; an entrance compartment which is dividedby a transverse wooden partition .18 intotwo sections 19 and 20 whichare separate and do not communicate. The

compartment 21 on the other side of the partition 16 is a victimchamber, the victims passing into thesame from the entrance compartments19 and. 20.

Entrance to the compartment 19 is had through a doorwayor opening); inthe end wall 1 1, and to the compartment 20 through a doorway or.opening in the end wall 15. These two entrances are controlled by gates22 and 22 which operate alternately. so that when one swings closed theother swings open. In order that this action may take 1, 1922. SerialNo. 598,416.;

a place, the gates are carried by the outer ends of a pair of laterallyspaced supporting beams 23 \VlUCh are p voted; intermediate their ends,at 2 1, in recesses 25 in the ends of the partition 18. Mounted on thefloor lt) so as toextend across the doorways or entrance openings is anupstanding. guard strip 26in front of which the bottom of the gates seatwhen closed.

ln the compartments l9 and 20 are bait receptacles 27, the same beingmounted on thetloor 10,closeto the partition 18. T11 front of each baitreceptacle 27 is a tiltable barrier 28 which extends across thecompartment and is pivoted to the floor 10 by means of loops 29 so thatit may swingvertically.

The top of the barrier has a forwardly e:-:-

counterweight 341:. This platform is located to precipitate the animalsinto the chamber 21. i a

The trap is initially set by swinging the beam 23 to bring one of thegates carried by said beam to closed position, the other'gate being leftelevated or open. Fig. 1 of the drawingsshows the gate 22 open and thegate 22 closed. An animal attracted by the bait in the compartment 19can now enter the same, but the compartment 20 cannot be entered as itsgate 22 is closed. Theanimal entering the compartment 19 and attempt ingto climb over the barrier 28 in said compartment to get at the bait inthe holder 27, presses down on the top lateral extension 80, whichcauses said barrier to tilt back in a direction to tilt the beams 23,the tilting of said beams being occasioned by the connections 31 withthe barrier. The beams 23 are tilted in a direction to lower the gate22*, whereupon the escape of the animal from the compartment 19 is cut0d, and at the same time the gate 22 of the compartment 20 is swungopen, so that the next victim may enter the trap by the way of thiscompartment. The two compartments 19 and 29 are therefore alternatelymade ready to receive a victim. The victim trapped in either compartmentin seeking to escape therefrom climbs through the corresponding openings18 into the passageway 32 leading from the compartment, and uponstepping on the platform 33, the latter tilts and precipitates theanimal into the receiving chamber 21. At the top of the compartments 19and 20 may be bait holders 35 to attract the animal to the passageway32. The trap is provided with a handle or bail 86 to suitably connectedto the top thereof.

I claim:

L'An animal trap comprising an enclosure having separate entrancecompartments and a victim-receiving chamber, entrance gates for theentrance con'ipartments, a piv oted-beam to the ends of which the gatessure having separate entrance compartments and a victim-receivingchamber, entrance gates for the entrance compartments, a pivoted beam,to the ends of which the gates are connected for alternate operation, atiltable victim-actuated member in each entrance compartment and havingan operative connection with the aforesaid pivoted beam, a bait-holderbehind said member, a

passageway leading from the entrance compartments to thevictim-receiving chamber, and means for preventing the return of theanimal from said chamber to the entrance compartments.

An animal trap comprising an enclosure-having separate entrancecompartments and a victim-receiving chamber, entrance gates for theentrance compartments, :1 pivoted beam to the ends of which the gatesare connected for alternate operation, a tiltable victim-actuated memberin each entrance compartment and having an operative connection with theaforesaid pivoted beam, a passageway leading from the entrancecompartments to the victim-receiving chamber, bait-holders at theentrance end of said passageway, and means for preventing the return ofthe animal from said chamber to the entrance compartments.

4. An animal trap comprising an enclosure having separate entrance compartmcnts and a victim-receiving chamber, entrance gates for theentrance compartments, :1 pivoted beam to the ends of which the gatesare connected for alternate operation, a bait-holder in each entrancecompartment, tiltable barriers in front of the bait-holders and havingoperative connection with the beams, a passageway leading from theentrance compartments to the victim-receiving chamber, and means forpreventing the return of the animal from said chamber to the entrancecompartments.

5. An animal trap comprising an enclosure having separate entrancecompartments and a victim-receiving chamber, entrance gates for theentrance compartments, a pitoted beam to the ends of which the gates areconnected for alternate operation, a bait-holder in each entrancecompartment, tiltable barriers in front of the bait-holders and havingoperative connection with the beams each of said barriers having aforwardly extending top portion for engage- -ment by a victim, apassageway leading from the entrance compartments to thevictim-receiving chamber, and means for preventing the return of theanimal from said chamber to the entrance compartments.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

THOMAS J. ELLISON.

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